The Hidden Cost of Bad Translation: How MachineTranslation.com Saved a SaaS Company

GB Speed (pseudonym), a fast-growing SaaS company, had a big problem—its multilingual users were frustrated. The company relied on generic machine translations for customer support, product descriptions, and privacy policies, but the results were inaccurate and confusing. 

This caused expensive errors, frustrated customers, and lost revenue. The support team was flooded with tickets from confused users. Misinterpreted contracts led to legal issues. As customers left and growth stalled, GB Speed knew it needed a better translation solution leading them to our global customer team for a consultation.

The true cost of bad translations

Many businesses overlook the impact of poor translations, assuming small errors don’t matter. But for a global SaaS company, even minor mistakes can cause big financial losses, customer churn, and legal trouble. GB Speed found out the hard way when bad translations hurt its reputation and profits.

They’re not alone as it is that 72% of international companies have stated that their reputation has been negatively impacted by translation errors.

Customer frustration and churn

Poor translations eroded customer trust, leading to an increase in churn. Users who struggled to understand product features or support instructions became frustrated and looked for alternatives. 

Many competitors offered localized content that was clearer, making them the preferred choice for global customers.

Inaccurate translations also affected user engagement. Customers were hesitant to upgrade to premium plans or refer the product to others because they lacked confidence in the service. Without clear, accurate translations, even the best product can fail to connect with its audience.

Operational inefficiencies

GB Speed’s support team spent countless hours clarifying translation errors instead of solving real issues. Customers submitted multiple tickets for the same problems, simply because they couldn't understand the automated responses. This created unnecessary workload and delayed resolution times, increasing frustration on both sides.

Additionally, internal teams struggled with miscommunication. Developers working with international partners encountered translation errors in technical documentation, slowing down collaboration and delaying product updates. Instead of helping the company scale, language barriers became an operational bottleneck.

Legal and compliance risks

One of the biggest risks of bad translations was legal liability. Contracts and compliance documents were often mistranslated, leading to misunderstandings with partners and clients. A single misinterpretation of a legal term could result in financial penalties or lawsuits.

For a SaaS company expanding into global markets, compliance with local laws and regulations is critical. A poorly translated data privacy policy, for example, could lead to regulatory fines or loss of customer trust. GB Speed realized that without professional-grade translations, its international expansion plans were in jeopardy.

How MachineTranslation.com solved the crisis

Realizing the urgent need for high-quality translations, GB Speed turned to MachineTranslation.com, an AI-powered platform that ensures accuracy, consistency, and security in multilingual communication. 

Unlike standard machine translation tools, MachineTranslation.com aggregates multiple translation engines to provide the most reliable results. This ensures that users receive high-quality translations every time.

AI Translation Agent for personalized refinement

One of the biggest advantages of MachineTranslation.com was its AI Translation Agent, which allowed GB Speed to refine translations based on user preferences. 

The AI Translation Agent ensures that legal and technical terms are accurately translated while maintaining clarity. It allows users to customize terms like "SaaS," making the translation more precise and industry-specific.

Additionally, AI improves readability and correctness, ensuring a professional and reliable Privacy Policy in German.

Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, the AI Translation Agent refines terminology, tone, and style by asking targeted questions. This enables GB Speed to tailor translations to their specific industry needs. 

The AI also learns from past translations, remembering user preferences to maintain consistency. Once a term is adjusted, it stays the same in future translations, reducing manual corrections and keeping branding and terminology consistent.

Custom glossary for industry-specific accuracy

To improve translation quality, GB Speed used MachineTranslation.com’s Key Term Glossary feature. 

This tool ensured that important industry terms were translated consistently, avoiding errors that could confuse customers. It provided multiple translation options, allowing translators to choose the most accurate term based on context, which was crucial for technical and legal documents.

Generic machine translation often mistranslated SaaS-related terms, leading to confusion in product descriptions, FAQs, and support documents. 

With the Custom Glossary, GB Speed standardized key terms, ensuring clarity and accuracy across all content. This helped maintain consistency and improved user understanding.

The Important Terms for Review feature flagged non-translatable elements like company names, technical terms, and essential details such as dates and email addresses. This ensured that terms like "GB Speed" and "SaaS" remained unchanged, preserving brand identity and accuracy. 

By preventing translation errors, this feature helped GB Speed deliver clear and reliable multilingual content.

AI Translation Quality insights for better decision-making

MachineTranslation.com provided AI-powered quality insights, allowing GB Speed to analyze translation accuracy instead of relying on a single machine translation. By comparing results from multiple translation engines, the company could select the most precise version. This ensured that industry-specific terms and complex content were accurately translated.

The Translation Insights feature helped identify differences in terminology, length, and phrasing across various translations. This was crucial for legal and technical documents, where even small errors could impact compliance. By reviewing tone, consistency, and accuracy, GB Speed ensured its legal translations met international standards.

Security and reliability for global expansion

Another major concern for GB Speed was data security. Many free translation tools lacked encryption, putting sensitive company and customer data at risk. MachineTranslation.com provided a secure translation environment, ensuring that confidential information remained protected.

With GDPR-compliant security features, GB Speed was able to translate legal documents, contracts, and customer communications without risking data privacy breaches. This allowed the company to expand into new markets with confidence.

The results: A business turnaround

After implementing MachineTranslation.com, GB Speed saw dramatic improvements across multiple areas of its business.

60% Drop in support complaints

With more accurate and user-friendly translations, customers could now understand support documentation without needing additional clarification. The number of support tickets related to translation issues dropped by 60%, freeing up the support team to focus on more complex customer issues.

Customers reported a better overall experience, leading to higher satisfaction scores and positive reviews. Instead of frustration, users felt empowered to navigate the platform with ease.

35% Increase in conversions

Clearer product descriptions and localized marketing content led to a 35% increase in conversion rates. International users were more willing to sign up, knowing they could fully understand the product’s features and benefits.

The onboarding process became smoother, reducing drop-off rates. New users could easily follow step-by-step guides, making it easier for them to adopt the platform.

Stronger global expansion and compliance

With reliable translations, GB Speed successfully expanded into new markets without the fear of miscommunication. Legal and compliance risks were minimized, allowing the company to operate smoothly across multiple regions.

The company also built stronger relationships with international partners, as translated contracts and business agreements were now clear and legally sound. This opened new opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Conclusion: The right translation partner matters

The story of GB Speed highlights the hidden costs of bad translations and the impact they can have on customer trust, legal compliance, and revenue. Poor translations don’t just cause confusion—they can break a business.

MachineTranslation.com provided a scalable, AI-powered translation solution that eliminated errors, improved efficiency, and helped GB Speed regain its competitive edge. With AI Translation Agent customization, Custom Glossary tools, and AI-powered quality insights, the company was able to fix its translation problems once and for all.

For SaaS businesses looking to expand globally, investing in accurate, secure, and AI-enhanced translation technology is essential. Don’t let bad translations hold your business back. Try MachineTranslation.com today and unlock seamless multilingual communication!